Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho believes there could be only one reason why long -term rival Arsene Wenger missed out on mentioning him in his new book .
“ Because he never beat me ,” Mourinho told reporters on Friday .
Wenger’ s autobiography — “ My Life in Red and White ” — looks back over his 22 years in charge of Arsenal between 1996 and 2018 .
But there was no mention of his touchline duels with Mourinho, whose Chelsea side dethroned the Frenchman ’s Invincibles in 2004 / 2005 .
The rivalry came to a head in 2014 when they physically clashed on the touchline during an English Premier League ( EPL ) meeting at Stamford Bridge .
It took Wenger 14 attempts to beat the Portuguese coach who once branded him a “ specialist in failure” , and in the end could only muster two wins in 19 matches .
“ You are not going to do a chapter about 12 or 14 matches and never win one . So, why should he speak about me in his book ? A book is a thing to make you happy , make you proud . So, I perfectly understand the situation ,” said Mourinho.
Ahead of Tottenham ’s London derby against West Ham United on Sunday , Mourinho said Gareth Bale is fit and available to make his second debut for the club .
Bale secured a return to north London from Real Madrid on loan last month but was rested during the international break to rebuild his fitness levels .
“ I am not going to tell you if he is going to play ( on Sunday ) , ” Mourinho said . “ What I can tell you is that he is working very well . He is working in the way he was not able to do for a long time .”
Mourinho also took the opportunity to praise club chairman Daniel Levy for pulling off an “ amazing” transfer window for the club .
Apart from Bale , Spurs also brought in Sergio Reguillon from Real Madrid along with Matt Doherty , Pierre Emile -Hojbjerg , Joe Hart and Carlos Vinicius .
“ I can only publicly thank them for what they gave to the team . And now ( it ) is for me , my staff and the players to answer in a positive way and have a good season, ” said Mourinho.
( Reuters / NAN )